Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews

Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Insect Pests

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Wayne Rowland, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:

Insect pests of vegetables can be controlled  by non chemical means if the insects are identified early.

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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TownTalk: Around Old Granville – The Ingleside Community

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Most anyone traveling the stretch of N.C. 39 between Henderson and Louisburg probably passes through the unincorporated community of Ingleside with little fanfare, but this general area holds on to some interesting history since it was first established in the decades before the Civil War.

Leave it to local history sleuths Bill Harris and Mark Pace to come up with some tidbits worthy of mention about this northern Franklin County crossroads in the most recent segment of Around Old Granville.

Ingleside was originally known as Macon, Pace said. There was a post office there from 1830-1834, but perhaps to avoid confusion with the other Macon post office in what is now Warren County, the name was changed to Ingleside and remained open until August 1907.

That may have been the reason to change the name, but why was the name Ingleside chosen? Well, there was a home with that name in the vicinity at the time owned by the Littlejohn family from Granville County. It was located about a half mile from the present-day intersection of N.C. 39 and U.S. 401.

It had a similar fate of many other homes of that period – it burned in the 1920’s.

Another home called Monreath is located near Ingleside. This home was built in the late 1770’s and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

There’s also Locust Grove, Harris said, which is a great example of Georgian-style architecture that dates possibly from the 1760’s. Although there’s some speculation that the home has been moved from its original location, not everyone’s on board with that theory. Some point to the discovery of Roman numerals notched on the home’s structural beams as evidence that the house had been disassembled – the numerals would have indicated how the house would be put back together.

“That’s a big house to move, back in the day – and a long ways,” Pace said. Regardless, the home certainly has been around since at least 1790 and was originally owned by Thomas Bell.

“It’s an absolutely gorgeous, gorgeous house,” Harris said.

The property eventually was sold to John Haywood, who served as the state’s treasurer from 1787 until he died in 1827. It was sold to Peter Foster of Gloucester County, VA., one of Harris’s ancestors.

Locust Grove provided room and board to some students of nearby Mt. Welcome Academy in the early 1800’s. According to an 1828 ad, students could stay for $36 a session.

A grandson of Peter Foster was Fenton Garland Foster, an inventor who is credited with a typesetting machine that basically is the forerunner of the typewriter.

Foster had a falling-out with his grandmother, and she kicked him out of the house for not paying rent. He moved to Connecticut and got in on the ground floor with a newish company called Sperry Rand and ended up losing the rights to all his patents.

There are a few more homes in the general area with names that end in Grove – there’s Maple Grove, Elm Grove and Oak Grove, the name of the home where Harris lives.

Oak Grove was built by a son of Peter Foster, Dr. Peter Stapleton Foster. The good doc, born in 1823, built the home in the 1850’s, Harris said. And the house has stayed in the family since its construction.

It is scheduled for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, fingers crossed, by next week, the proud owner stated.

Just down the road from Oak Grove is Traveler’s Rest, a tiny building that, as the name implied, offered respite from the road for stagecoach passengers.

“It’s one of the most iconic structures” in the area, Pace said.

Right near Ingleside is Rocky Ford, where a structure known simply as the “little stone house” or the “little rock house” stands.

They don’t know much about its history, but there are some theories floating around that it could have been a place where people would have taken refuge if they feared trouble from the Native Americans living close. Another theory has it being a mental institution.

It’s left experts and architectural survey professionals stumped, Pace said. “Nobody really knows what it was used for…it’s just an enigma.”

There’s a lot more to learn about Ingleside and the surrounding area – listen back to the complete conversation on Thursday’s Around Old Granville segment of TownTalk.

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TownTalk: What If Vance County Had A Data Center?

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For the past few months, county residents have spoken up to express their opposition to data centers.

They’ve signed up to speak during the public comment portion of regular monthly Vance County Board of Commissioners meetings.

They’ve been vocal on social media, offering opinions and posting information about all the bad stuff that happens in communities where data centers are located.

And multiple speakers at Monday’s commissioners meeting called on the board to establish a moratorium on data center development.

Commissioner Valencia Perry asked the board to think about a moratorium. “May I speak about what they’re talking about?” she asked Chair Carolyn Faines. “’Cause evidently they ain’t going nowhere,” which got a round of applause from the audience.

County Manager Renee Perry recommended that commissioners discuss researching a data center moratorium at its next work session.

To recap, the Vance County Planning Board recommended in April that about 40 acres along U.S. Hwy 158 be rezoned from EIA – Employment Institutional Area – to Light Industrial.

There currently are no plans for development of the property under discussion, but, because a name on the rezoning request included a name associated with a Maryland-based data center developer, residents concluded that the site would be the site of a data center in the future.

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Home and Garden Show

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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • The Vance County Regional Farmers Market Spring Fling is this Saturday, May 9th, from 8am-1pm.
  • The Vance-Warren Beekeepers Association will have their next meeting on June 8th, starting at 7pm at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market.
  • Gardens need 1 inch of rain or irrigation per week.
  • Read the label each time you use any chemical in your garden.
  • Spray weed killers when the wind blows less. Be mindful of chemical drift.
  • Identify insects before spraying a chemical. Cooperative Extension can help with insect or disease identification.
  • If you planted seed in your garden and ample rain has occurred, be mindful of soil crusting. You need to slightly loosen the soil surface to help the seed to emerge well.
  • Keep your garden journal updated daily.
  • Monitor plants for Nitrogen deficiency Yellow green leaves are the first sign of nitrogen deficiency.
  • Continue your fruit spray program according to product directions.
  • Record rainfall each day in your garden journal.
  • Get your vegetable publications from Cooperative Extension.
  • Check houseplants dust weekly with a soft cloth.
  • Check storage areas for mice.

The Vance County Cooperative Extension Building is located at 305 Young St, Henderson, NC 27536

The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is located at 210 Southpark Dr., Henderson, NC 27536

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Dinosaurs, Mother Goose, & Summer Reading At Perry Memorial Library

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With the Summer Reading program kickoff just two weeks away, the Perry Memorial Library staff is busy making sure everything’s organized and ready to go. And they’re putting the finishing touches on Rupert, the brachiosaurus they’re creating that will hang – somehow – from the library’s ceiling.

Right now, Rupert’s in parts, but that’s ok, according to Youth Services Director Melody Peters said. Library staff, like archaeologists, are putting together pieces of a puzzle to recreate what the dinosaur looked like when it roamed the earth.

Rupert ties into the summer reading theme “Unearthing A Story,” Peters told WIZS’s Scout Hughes on Tuesday segment of The Local Skinny!

“He’s taking shape,” she said, and will most likely take his place above the bookshelves and info desks next week.

The summer reading program kicks off on Tuesday, June 16 when kids can come in to the library, sign up for the program and get their reading logs.

Vendors and area businesses will be on hand with games for the kiddos, popcorn and more, Peters said. “It’s just a fun day to celebrate reading,” she said, adding that the library staff is most grateful for the community effort.

“We are so grateful for our partners,” she said. “We support each other…as part of the community and we couldn’t do it alone.”

Regular programming continues, however, and Peters said she’s looking forward to “Thrilling Thursdays” at the library. Thursdays are jam-packed with programs all day long, from Mother Goose Story Time at 11 with community play on the patio – with bubbles! – afterward, followed by Afternoon Story Time at 3:30 p.m. This is an abbreviated story time for busy families who can zip in for a quick story – and bubbles! – before heading on their way to the next activity, sports practice or errand.

The June 4 theme is gardens, and the June 11 theme is sharks, Peters said.

Got more time? Stay for Lego Fun and Games at 4 p.m., then Teen Time in the Maker Space for youth in grades 6-12 who want to play Wii or get creative with arts and crafts.

Thursdays don’t get all the action, Peters said.

Baby Rave returns Friday, June 12 at 10:30 a.m. The 0-2 crowd can have some fun with scarves, disco lights – and bubbles!

Then it’s time for the 3-5 age range and Parachute Fun at 11:30 a.m. for 30 minutes of games and songs, all under and around the parachute.

As always, siblings are welcome to participate, too.

Visit the library’s website at www.perrylibrary.org to learn more.

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TownTalk: Stewardson Making Headlines In And Around Henderson

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Downtown Henderson is set to be the backdrop for a music and arts festival, the brainchild of a local man who’s set to take the stage with others as part of the day’s performances on Sunday, June 14.

Bridger Stewardson has just completed the first year of a four-year program at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and this idea to do something for his hometown has been taking shape over the past few months.

The result: the Henderson Music & Arts Festival, and five different groups are scheduled to perform from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the space between the police department, McGregor Hall and Perry Memorial Library, Stewardson said on Tuesday’s TownTalk.

He’d been thinking about doing something in Henderson – for his hometown – for the past few years, noting that there’s not much offered locally when it comes to live music.

“Putting this festival together is a perfect of giving back to the community.”

He describes the festival as “small town soul, big stage jam” on his social media page promoting the event and said vendors, artisans and food trucks are going to add to the festival atmosphere.

For those unfamiliar, Bridger Stewardson is the son of Jason and Missy Stewardson and the grandson of Faye Stewardson and the late Bob Stewardson and Dr. Roddy and Beverly Drake. And Berklee College of Music in Boston, well, it’s the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world, known for the study of jazz and modern American music.

Stewardson, who plays piano, is majoring in jazz composition.

“I first started playing when I was eight,” Stewardson said. He took lessons with Henderson’s own Mark Hopper for a couple of years, then took some time to do his “own thing” before working with Oxford’s Cindy Clark. “She really honed my skills,” Stewardson said. “She let me play what I wanted to play and have fun.”

For Stewardson, having “fun” at the piano often includes improvisation, something jazz musicians are known for. He said when he plays, it’s 70 percent off the page and 30 percent on the page.” His music, he said, comes from the soul.

His group, Stewardson and Friends, opens up the friendship circle to include four other groups that will perform at the festival, which is free to the public.

Local favorites Jimmy and the Sound Barriers will kick off the concert, followed by

Soul Livin’ jazz quartet from Durham, Noah Gibney trio from Boston, the Westbrooks, another local group. Stewardson and Friends will round out the concert with a 90-minute set, he said. He’ll be at piano, accompanied by drums, bass, keyboards and vocalist.

He credits jam sessions in David Westbrook’s garage with helping him – as a young musician – feel comfortable creating music with a group of like-minded folks who have fun and enjoy playing music together.

He said musical improvisation comes pretty natural to him, and he gives a nod to his dad for sharing with him the love of artists like the Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan when he was growing up.

Recognizing that everyone’s musical tastes are different, this music festival is going to have something for everyone, Stewardson said, from bluegrass and jazz to Southern rock, R & B to funk.

“Not everybody’s into the same thing,” he said, adding that things would probably be pretty boring if they were.

“I feel like it takes a lot to make me uncomfortable musically,” he said.

“If somebody’s happy playing it, I’m happy watching and listening.”

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